The new Carbo farm calculator will help produce dairy products with a lower carbon footprint
Valio has introduced new Carbo farm calculator for farmers (Credit: Valio Oy)
Finnish dairy product manufacturer Valio has introduced a new Carbo farm calculator for farmers to measure their own carbon emissions and take better actions to minimise them.
The new calculator will help farmers to produce dairy products with a lower carbon footprint. The Carbon Trust, a global climate and sustainability expert, has certified the new farm tool.
According to the company, the global average carbon footprint of raw milk is currently 2.5 kg CO2e per litre, while it is around one kg CO2e per litre.
Valio’s calculator will allow to measure emissions reductions and verify them at the farm level
Valio’s calculator will enable to measure emissions reductions and verify them at the farm level. Aleksi Astaptsev, the Valio’s scientist, has developed the calculation model.
Astaptsev said: “Cows today can produce more milk with the same amount of feed. Despite this development, our climate impact is still significant.
“We are humble about the challenges and we are pursuing ways to lower the figures even further. This is the first carbon footprint calculator in Finland developed specifically for dairy farms.”
Valio’s carbon footprint calculation applies the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) methodology, as well as data from Valio’s own scientific work, which commenced as animal nutrition research 10 years back.
The company will also continue to develop the carbon footprint calculator, including life cycle models to calculate the carbon footprint of food products that do not cover the soil’s carbon balance.
To get a precise picture of food’s carbon footprint, the company plans to include carbon binding in grass fields and emissions from farming peat fields in the calculation. Valio also plans to combine the nutritional values of different foods with their carbon footprints.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has configured guidelines to calculate food’s carbon footprint at three levels of accuracy.
Valio applies IPCC’s level 3 guidelines, which apply precise national calculation methods, factors, and parameters.
Valio, a company owned by 4,700 Finnish milk producers, shares its profits to the dairy farms.